Logan Director Explains How Watchmen Influenced The Film

In the world of comics, there are good stories and then there are great. Readers will argue to the end of days about which series should be housed under those labels, but many critics have already agreed that Watchmen belongs to the latter. The ground-breaking comic solidified Alan Moore’s place in pop culture, and it seems that the story’s legend lives on. So, yes, fans should expect to see a bit of Watchmen when they go see Logan in a few months.

During a recent interview with Fandango, the director of Logan revealed how exactly Watchmen influenced the blockbuster. James Mangold said he borrowed a framing device from Watchmen which set a story within a story. As fans saw today in the new Logan trailer, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is seen reading an X-Men comic that fictionalizes the jobs he and his comrades did years back. Similar to Tales of the Black Freighter, Logan uses text to play with its audiences, and Mangold said he gleaned the idea from Watchmen.

When the director was asked if there was any X-Men content he wished he could fit into Logan, Mangold said he’s happy as is.

“No. I think the most interesting thing we’re doing in relation to the X-Men – and when you see the whole movie, it’s very provocative – is the idea that these characters live with their own legends in the movie. What I mean by that is that theX-Men comic books exist in this movie. X-Men action figures exist in the movie. These characters are all aging celebrities, and all these stories that have been written down and told exist as part of the universe in the movie,” he explained.

“Part of the burden for Logan as he tries to move on with his life is that the celebrity and notoriety of his past haunt him. That to me was a very interesting dynamic to try to play, and it ends up playing an integral role in what happens in the movie.”

When Fandango pointed out the similarities between Logan’s trajectory and Watchmen, Mangold admitted the two projects shared elements. “Yes, it’s got that to it.”

Logan takes place in the year 2024, where mutant births have become extremely rare. The defenders of mutant kind, the X-Men, are long gone, and the only remains of them are an old and struggling Charles Xavier and a weary Logan. Logan's vaunted healing factor has slowed, and at times doesn't seem to work at all. When a young mutant needs his help, Logan has to unsheathe his claws once more. His job isn't over yet.